


Run, Run, Run

by LucindaAM



Series: My Guilty Pleasure One-Shots [15]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Not her fault, Overprotective Steve, Reader is a little out of her mind, Still with good reasons, You're once again on the run from Steve, angst if you squint, or so you think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:13:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26576581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucindaAM/pseuds/LucindaAM
Summary: You got hurt.Bad.So, you get to be one of the lucky new guinea pigs for Dr. Cho's cradle. Something must have gotten lost in translation though because you've just been drugged to kingdom come and aren't exactly thinking straight.Convinced that Steve's going to kill you this time for getting injured on a mission, you do the only thing you can do. You run. Now Steve has to once again chase you down before you can hurt yourself.Pure. Freaking Fluff.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Reader
Series: My Guilty Pleasure One-Shots [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1997734
Comments: 13
Kudos: 95





	Run, Run, Run

You were running. And no, you didn’t currently have any plans to stop. In fact, you had just decided to go for the marathon gold in running. Maybe, if you were lucky, you’d be like that guy from the ancient Greek city Marathon. You could run away from all of your problems and then drop dead before Steve could kill you himself.

Seemed like a solid idea to you.

The tiny voice of reason in your head that sounded suspiciously like Natasha told you running wasn’t going to help you this time and reminded you of just how spectacularly it had failed last time too, but you decided to listen to the OTHER voice in your head. The one that sounded suspiciously like Clint and the one that said that this time was different. This time you had a better plan.

You glanced around the streets of New York as you continued your mad race away from the tower and grimaced.

On the bright side, if you’d managed to get yourself this lost, it was unlikely that Steve would manage to track you down.

You kept running.

Steve paced around the common room in agitation. He couldn’t stop replaying the scene over and over in his mind. You fighting a combatant hand to hand while another goon snuck up behind you. The other goon raising his gun to point at your unsuspecting back. Steve yelling your name across the field as he flung his shield out.

The goon falling to the ground, concussed if not dead, but not before firing the shot.

Steve watching as you collapsed to your knees, a brilliant red staining the front of your uniform where the bullet had passed clean through.

Your eyes fluttering closed as Steve rushed you to the quinjet. Your last words echoing in his ear. ‘Love you, Stevie.’

He couldn’t lose you. He just couldn’t.

Nat had tried to get him to go shower, eat and sleep once they got you back to the tower. Dr. Cho had already whisked you away to the cradle and had warned that with the damage you’d received, it would be at least a couple of hours before they could release you.

Steve didn’t care. The thought of his bed wasn’t tempting if you weren’t there to share it with him. The thought of food was repulsive as the scene of you, bleeding and broken in his arms, played over and over in his head.

Steve ran a shaking hand over his face and tried to will his heart into settling down.

You’d be okay.

You were a fighter.

He wasn’t going to lose you.

A medical tech appeared out of nowhere and approached Steve cautiously. “Captain Rogers?” He asked quietly.

Steve glanced up at the man sharply.

The tech wrung his hands together. “I’m . . . I’m afraid we’ve lost her.”

Steve’s world crumbled into a thousand pieces and he sat heavily on the chair behind him.

The tech approached him cautiously, unsure if he should continue, or if he should wait. When Steve didn’t say anything, the tech continued. “She left when no one was looking. Dr. Cho has already asked Mr. Stark to look at the security . . .”

The tech cut off abruptly as Steve jumped to his feet and gripped him by the arms. Steve shook him slightly. “You lost her because she died or you lost her because she LEFT THE DAMN BUILDING?”

“The . . . the . . . the second one.” The tech stammered.

Steve released the man innocently and the tech wasted no time in scurrying away from the fuming Captain America. “Son of a bitch.” Steve swore. The few people in the waiting room glanced at him in shock.

Steve ignored them all as he stormed down to the labs, looking for Tony’s help.

“Oh. Capscicle. Come to see where the magic happens?” Tony asked, without looking up from his screens.

“You find her?” Steve asked, cutting right to the chase.

Tony pulled up an image of you, wide-eyed, drugged out of your mind as you escaped the medical ward in a pair of borrowed scrubs.

Steve took a deep breath and tried to count to ten in an effort to keep the mind consuming fear for your safety at bay.

“Can you follow her once she makes it out of the building?” He asked.

Tony shook his head. “Not without doing some serious no-no hacking.” He said with a smirk.

Steve stared at him without blinking.

Tony swallowed. “Which, of course, I will get right on. In the meantime, JARVIS has plotted what her most likely course was.”

Tony pulled up a map of the city and flipped the screen to show Steve your would-be-progress.

Steve groaned. Of course. Of course you’d head right for the worst part of town.

Steve almost wished Bucky was here to see this because this HAD to be karma for all the backalley fights Steve had gotten into when he was a kid.

Steve turned and left the lab without so much as a ‘thank you’.

“I’ll just stay here and work on the hacking, then!” Tony called out after him. “Seriously. It’s like no one takes me seriously anymore.”

“I do, sir.” JARVIS said.

Tony sighed. “Thanks, J.”

You glanced around you in confusion. You knew these streets like the back of your hand. Or at least you used to because that all-night diner sure as hell didn’t look new and you sure as hell didn’t remember it.

You shivered as the sun started setting and decided that it was as good a place as any to eat your last meal.

You trudged through the doors and glanced at the few patrons you saw lounging about. The few sober enough to glance back at you nodded in greeting as you made your way to the back and slipped into a booth. You kept your head low as you glanced over the menu.

“What can I get for you, hun?” An older waitress asked, pulling a pencil and notepad out of her apron with a flair that said she had done that a thousand times before.

You kept your head bent over the menu, letting some of your hair fall over your features, obscuring you from view. You wished you’d thought to grab a hat before you’d run out of the tower. You cursed Tony and his addiction to press conferences. Half the world knew your face. It made lying low a little difficult.

“Just a coffee. Thanks.” You said said, lying the menu on the table as you glanced out of the window.

The waitress eyed your jittery hands with narrowed eyes. She glanced around the rest of the almost empty diner and decided she had the time

She slid into the seat opposite of you and leaned close. “Listen, hun. You in some kind of trouble?”

You almost glanced up at her in shock before you remembered that you were lying low. You stared at the table and shook your head. “No. No, I’m fine.”

“Uh-huh. You wanna try that again?”

You shook your head slowly and did your best not to let your eyes grow any larger. What you were thinking though, must have been clearly painted on your face. Or at least clearly painted for someone the likes of her. Damn this woman could give even Nat and Clint a run for their money.

The waitress sighed and leaned against the seat, folding her arms over her chest. “You mean to tell me you ain’t running from somebody?”

You stopped breathing.

The waitress nodded knowingly. “Thought so. You work here long enough and you learn to tell these things.”

You didn’t say anything. She hadn’t really expected you to.

She sighed and leaned forward again, putting her hands on yours. “Listen, hun. You ain’t gonna get the help you need if you ain’t willing to admit you need it. Understand?”

She waited until you nodded slowly.

Then she patted your hands and pushed to her feet. “You stay here as long as you need, darlin’. Coffee on the house.”

Then she turned and walked back out onto the floor, ready to sucker-punch her next victim right where it hurt.

You sat frozen at your table wondering what in the hell had just happened.

Steve followed the path JARVIS mapped out religiously though he did glance at least once into every dark corner and alley way he passed, just to be safe.

A sick feeling was rolling in his gut and his imagination was starting to get the best of him.

As the route JARVIS mapped came to an end, Steve rubbed an exhausted hand over his face. “She’s not here, JARVIS. Where’s Tony coming on the cam’s?”

“He’s experiencing a few difficulties on that end, sir. Perhaps you should explore on foot for the time being? It’s getting dark and in theory, she shouldn’t have been able to make it much further. She doesn’t have the stamina that your serum affords you.”

Steve ducked his head and prayed that you were okay. “Yeah. Yeah, JARVIS. Just keep me posted, will you?”

“Of course.”

Steve glanced around at the decrepit buildings and the dirty streets. You could be anywhere.

His eyes were drawn towards an all-night diner shining brightly against the grey backdrop of the surrounding area and he squared his shoulders and he headed towards it. With any luck, someone inside might have seen you pass by.

Steve opened the door and glanced around the diner. Most everyone looked half-drunk or well on their way. He sighed. These people were too wasted to be of much help.

Steve turned to leave the diner when a voice stopped him. “Don’t tell me you’re leaving so soon.”

Steve turned to see an older waitress standing in front of him with her arms crossed. “You haven’t even tried the pie.”

Steve managed to give her a half a grin. “Sorry, ma’am. Just looking for somebody.”

One of her eyebrows rose and he saw something flash in her eyes that he didn’t quite catch. She shrugged a shoulder. “Lot’s of somebodies come through a place like this. Maybe I can help. I never forget a face.”

Steve looked at her for a long moment before he nodded. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He turned it to her as the screen lit up, showing his screensaver. It was a picture of the two of you that Wanda had taken a few days after you’d told him you loved him for the first time. Your smile was bright and there was something so carefree in your expression.

It was one of Steve’s favorite pictures of you.

The waitress smiled softly at it too and a part of Steve’s heart warmed at the way she seemed to notice it too.

“Why would a ‘gal like that be running away from a fella like you?” She asked softly.

Steve glanced at her, eyes narrowing. “I didn’t say she ran . . .” He started.

The waitress shrugged a shoulder with the grace of someone who’d seen it all. “You’re asking a stranger if I’ve happened to have seen her. Doesn’t sound like the two of you simply got separated.”

Steve ran a hand through his hair. “No. No. You’re right. It’s just . . . she got hurt earlier and the drugs they gave her at the hospital made her a little . . . loopy. She took off when the doctor’s backs were turned. I’ve been trying to find her ever since. Normally she’s perfectly able to take care of herself but right now?” Steve sighed heavily and the woman nodded to herself.

“Thought she looked a bit peaked.” She breathed.

“What was that?” Steve asked.

The waitress shook her head and gestured for him to follow her. “Come on, fella. Seems like you could use a slice of pie and a fresh perspective.”

There was just something about her that made Steve turn and follow her towards the back of the diner.

The waitress gestured for him to take a seat in one of the booths.

Steve didn’t notice it was already occupied until he slid into it. He glanced at the woman and started apologizing as he moved to stand when the waitress put a firm hand on his shoulder and pushed him back into his seat.

“I’ll be bringing you that pie now. And another coffee for you, hun.”

Then she sauntered away.

Steve glanced at her before turning back to the woman he’d interrupted.

“Sorry about tha . . .” His words died on his tongue as he looked at you. “Sweetheart?” He choked.

You glanced up sharply. “Steve?”

Steve reached across the table and ran a shaking hand down your face, not trusting that you were really there. “You’re okay. You’re okay.” He mumbled over and over again.

Tears slid down your cheeks as you reached a hand up to keep one of his firmly pressed against your face. Neither of you said anything as your waitress brought a slice of pie and a cup of coffee back to the table and smiled at the tender reunion before she slunk back into the diner to finish her shift.

Steve stood from table and crossed to your side, sliding in beside you and wrapping an arm around you. He pressed you to his chest and bent his head down to breath you in. “You had me worried sick, doll.” He murmured.

You ran your hand across his chest, likewise needing the reassurance that he was real. “I didn’t mean to worry you, Stevie. I just . . . panicked.”

Steve laughed bitterly. “Panicked? About what?”

You shrugged a shoulder, reluctant to answer. You weren’t sure how Steve would take it and you didn’t want to ruin the moment you had now.

Luckily, Steve let it go as he held you closer to his chest. He let out a shaky breath and nodded to himself. “You were drugged pretty heavily.” He said, leaning down to take a bite of his pie. “Maybe a good idea to let someone else test out the cradle next time. Clint’s always getting hurt. Maybe he’ll be a pal and work out the kinks before your next go around.”

You chuckled lightly. “Already planning for the next go around, huh, Captain? And here I thought I’d be banned from field work for sure.”

Steve sighed and kissed the top of your head. His next words were quiet, but they warmed you with the force of them anyway. “I’d ban you without a second thought if it meant keeping you safe, sweetheart. But it’s not just about what I want. You’re good at this. You can make a difference. It's what we both signed up for. I just need to learn to live with that. I love you. That means I can’t hold you back. I just need to trust that you’ll always do your best to come back to me.”

You tilted your head back and pressed your lips softly to his. “I love you, too.” You whispered.

“Promise me one thing?” Steve asked.

You nodded your head.

“Promise me you’ll stop running? I’m an old man, sweetheart. I can’t keep up.”

You chuckled and turned in his arms so you could press your forehead against his. “How about I promise that next time, you’ll want to do the chasing?”

Steve looked into your mischief filled eyes and saw a passion burning there that made him swallow hard. “It’s a deal, doll.”

You smiled at him and broke away, reaching for your cup of coffee. “Glad to hear it, soldier. Now finish your pie. Those meds are wearing off and I’d like to be back in medical before they do.”

“Ma’am yes ma’am.” Steve chuckled.

A few booths away, the waitress smiled as she watched the two lovebirds reconnect. She couldn’t WAIT to tell her nosey neighbor Phyllis just how she'd ‘helped’ the greatest romance the Avengers had ever seen.

Phyllis could eat her heart out but nothing would top this.

**Author's Note:**

> When I got my wisdom teeth out, I decided in my drugged state of mind that it needed to be a great secret. No one could know. When my uncle came to visit later that day, I nearly climbed out of my second story window before the rational part of my brain kicked back in to say; 'Hey, idiot, not a good idea.'
> 
> The point is . . . this was totally not based on real life events. Not at all. XD


End file.
